e-newsletter companion of Eastern Oklahoma Catholic magazine
Bishop Celebrates Mass, Tours Repairs at Fire-Damaged Church, Visits School in Muskogee
MUSKOGEE — Bishop David Konderla celebrated Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Muskogee, toured the fire-damaged Church, and then paid a visit to the parish school last Tuesday morning.
Parishioners have been gathering for Mass and other functions at the Parish Hall for nearly a year after a fire severely damaged the main Church building in March of last year, just days before Ash Wednesday. Now led by Pastor Father John O'Neill, the parish recently began restoration and reconstruction of the Church building. Phase 1 — rebuilding the damaged steel structure where the fire burned the hottest — is nearing completion.
At about the same time that Fr. O'Neill and Parochial Vicar Fr. Alessandro Calderoni arrived at the parish last summer, new Principal Brian Doerner was hired to lead the PreK - grade 8 school, one of Oklahoma's oldest. Established in January of 1890, the St. Joseph Catholic School just marked 136 years of service as a Catholic institution. Mr. Doerner was himself a student at St. Joseph.
Bishop Konderla toured the school and greeted administrators, teachers, and students as he went from classroom to classroom. Mr. Doerner also showed the Bishop a wall display of historical photos related to the school. For more about St. Joseph Catholic School and its history, click here.
EOC Photos by Daniel McCay
Eight Parishes to Participate in Holy Thursday Pilgrimage Set for Night of April 2
TULSA — This year's Holy Thursday Pilgrimage — formerly "Seven Churches Pilgrimage" — will take place on the night of April 2, at eight Tulsa parishes.
"Over the past few years, our parishes have partnered to offer a Seven Churches Pilgrimage on the evening of Holy Thursday," says Fr. Steven Ditzel, Parochial Vicar at the Parish of Christ the King in Tulsa. "I have found this to be a beautiful expression of the Catholic community in Tulsa. It provides a unique opportunity for our parishioners to come together in adoration of our Lord and to experience the beauty of each of our parishes."
Pilgrims can choose to attend one or several of the eight participating churches that will hold Adoration that night. Unless otherwise noted, each of this year's eight participating parishes will have an altar of repose available for pilgrims to come and pray before the Blessed Sacrament from approximately 8 p.m. until midnight. Altar of repose start times may vary slightly due to the length of each parish's respective In Coena Domini Mass. For instance, St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic Church will close at 11 p.m.
The eight participating parishes with additional location or time information are:
• Church of Saint Mary (Altar of repose will be located in St. Joseph Parish Hall)
• Church of the Madalene
• Holy Family Cathedral
• Parish of Christ the King (Altar of repose will be located in Mary, Queen of Peace Chapel)
• St. Bernard of Clairvaux - 7:30 - 11p.m. (Altar of Repose in the Good Shepherd Chapel)
• St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church - 8:30 p.m. - midnight
• St. Philip Neri University Parish
• St. Pius X Catholic Church - 6:30 p.m. - midnight
Tulsa Educators Graduate from ICLE Catholic Educator Formation and Credential Program
OKLAHOMA CITY — A pair of Tulsa Catholic educators were recognized for having completed the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education credential program during a special Mass, ceremony and reception held in Oklahoma City on Feb. 21.
Trevor Allee of Holy Family Classical School and Hanna Massell, formerly of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School (currently with Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma), spent 18 months participating in intensive in-person workshops, weekly online classes, homework assignments, and teacher observations. They are part of a cohort of 20 Catholic school educators in Oklahoma to graduate at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Oklahoma City. This marks the successful completion of the second cohort of the groundbreaking formation and credentialing program facilitated by ICLE.Tulsa Catholic Schools Superintendent David Dean presented the keynote address during the event and extolled the virtues of Catholic education.
Oklahoma offers the Catholic Educator Formation and Credential (CEFC) Program to all of its Catholic educators. Both the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa & Eastern Oklahoma provide CEFC formation for teachers. Taught from a distinctly Catholic perspective, the CEFC is the only teaching credential program in existence designed to offer a uniquely Catholic formation for educators as an alternative to secular state licensure.
"The word ‘formation’ in our name makes all the difference,” said Dr. Alyssan Barnes, Senior Faculty of the Credential Program. “We aren't just a credential program; we seek to form the teachers, to help them to see their students and the subjects they teach through a Catholic lens. That's what I've been so struck by with this year's cohort: They have been formed. You can see it in their growth over the past 18 months.”
ICLE was founded in 1999 to help educators renew today’s Catholic schools by drawing on the Church’s tradition, which frees teachers and students for the joyful pursuit of faith, wisdom, and virtue.
The CEFC program is now accepting applications on a rolling admissions basis. To learn more or to apply today, click here.
Photos by Chris Porter/Sooner Catholic
Early Bird Registration for 2026 Tulsa Catholic Women's Conference Now Through March 31
TULSA — Women of the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma are once again invited to gather for the third annual Tulsa Catholic Women’s Conference on Sept. 18-19, 2026.
Last year 750 women came together for this faith-filled conference, and organizers hope to have even more women from each parish in the diocese experience the conference.
The TCWC will again be held at the Renaissance Hotel in south Tulsa and organizers say they will continue the special Friday night social component for more time together in fellowship and prayer.
This year's guest speakers include award-winning chef Father Leo Patalinghug, as well as Mary Bielski, Caitlyn Gonya, and Sarah Swafford. Praise and worship music will be led by Noelle Garcia.
The conference sold out last year, so all are urged to get their early bird ticket now for only $75. Early bird pricing will continue through the end of March. After that, general admission will go to regular price of $85.
For more information about registration, schedule of events, guest speakers, sponsorships, vendor opportunities, and more, click here.
Father Leo Patalinghug
Saint Francis Launches New Program to Bring Hospital-Level Care into the Home
TULSA — Saint Francis Health System has launched a new approach to hospital care in northeast Oklahoma, delivering hospital-level care directly in patients’ homes. Through Saint Francis at Home, carefully selected patients will receive the same level of care traditionally provided inside a hospital, without being in a hospital setting.
“This program expands where hospital-level care can happen for the right patients,” said Dr. Cliff Robertson, president and CEO of Saint Francis Health System. “For some patients, the safest place to heal can be at home — while remaining fully connected to Saint Francis care teams.”
Saint Francis at Home is designed for patients whose medical needs can be safely treated outside the hospital, based on physician judgment and defined clinical criteria. This program does not replace in-hospital care. Instead, it provides another safe, high-quality option for patients who qualify.
Saint Francis is partnering with DispatchHealth to deliver care in the home, working closely with Saint Francis Hospital and Saint Francis Hospital South clinicians to ensure continuity, oversight and accountability. CommunityCare is supporting the program by providing an insurance coverage pathway for eligible patients. Medicare patients are also eligible.
This new program builds on a proven partnership with DispatchHealth that began with an ER alternative treating thousands of patients at home. More recently, Saint Francis expanded to higher-level, post-hospital recovery care delivered at home, rather than another facility.
Photo courtesy Saint Franics Health System
Saint of the Month:
St. Turibius of Mogrovejo
1538-1606 | Feast: March 23
BY CANDACE BRYANT-LESTER/FAITH Catholic
Turibius Alfonso was serving as a Grand Inquisitor in Spain when King Philip II commanded that he be consecrated as a missionary archbishop for a colony in the New World. He wasn’t even a priest; how could he be consecrated as archbishop?
Despite his vehement protests, Turibius went on to receive holy orders. Two years later he was ordained a bishop and then set sail for the New World, being installed as archbishop of the Spanish colony of Peru.
Turibius’ holiness and strength of character were well-established. From a young age he dedicated himself to a daily rosary and praying the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as regular fasting and almsgiving; he continued these practices throughout his life.
Upon reaching the new continent, Turibius journeyed 600 miles to Lima. Along the way he preached, baptized and confirmed those who sought Christ, including St. Rose of Lima. For most of his 25 years as archbishop, Turibius was traversing the vast archdiocese learning the local dialects, saying Mass with the people and organizing the building of roads, schools, chapels and hospitals.
Turibius was known as a champion of the rights of the natives in a land and at a time when colonialism was at its worst. His persistent advocacy and insistence on their dignity led to some lessening of oppression. He also tackled clerical abuses.
In 1584, Turibius produced a trilingual catechism to aid in catechizing the local people. And when he founded the first seminary in the western hemisphere, he made it mandatory that attendees learn the indigenous languages.
After 25 years of faithful service to the Archdiocese of Lima, Turibius died in 1606 and was canonized about 100 years later. His commitment to the inherent dignity of each person and his tireless efforts to bring souls to God make him the patron of the rights of indigenous peoples and the patron saint of Peru.
St. Turibius, pray for us!
From the Editor
As most of us woke up Saturday morning to news that the U.S. and Israel had launched joint military strikes against the Iranian regime, both Pope Leo XIV and Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, urgently called upon all parties to return to dialogue and pursue every avenue toward a just and lasting peace.
Echoing the appeal of Pope Leo XIV to halt the spiral of violence before it became an “an unbridgeable chasm,” Archbishop Coakley issued a statement released by the USCCB over the weekend emphasizing the critical need for restraint and for all parties to take "concrete steps to end the conflict, work for peace and protect innocent lives."
The statement continued, “The growing conflict risks spiraling into a wider regional war. As the Holy Father has warned, we are faced with the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions. My brother bishops and I unite our voice with our Holy Father and make the heartfelt appeal to all parties involved for diplomacy to regain its proper role. We ask for a halt to the spiral of violence, and a return to multilateral diplomatic engagement that seeks to uphold the ‘well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice.’ All nations, international bodies, and partners committed to peace must exert every effort to prevent further escalation."
The USCCB statement concluded by asking for "the intercession of our Blessed Mother, Mary, Queen of Peace, to pray for our troubled world and for a lasting peace.”
As we continue to pray during this season of Lent, we will especially keep in mind our civil authorities, the safety of our military men and women, and all those who may be in harm's way.
Until next week, thanks for reading!
Chris Rush
Editor
"Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" — Philippians 4:8
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